What Is a Good VO₂ Max for Your Age?

There is no single "good" VO₂ max. What counts as typical or high depends on your age, sex, how the test was performed, and which reference population you compare against. This article explains the best available measured reference data and how to use it without overreading one number.

Why is there no single "good" VO₂ max?

Search for a VO₂ max chart online and you will find tidy tables labeling numbers as poor, fair, good, or excellent. Those tables rarely tell you where their numbers came from, and that is a problem. VO₂ max varies with age, sex, body size, training background, altitude, and the way the test is performed. A number that is unremarkable for a 25-year-old male runner can be exceptional for a 65-year-old woman. Any chart that ignores those factors will mislead someone.

A better question than "Is my VO₂ max good?" is: "How does my directly measured result compare with an appropriate reference population using a comparable testing method?" That is the approach this article takes.

What is the best reference data available?

One of the strongest available U.S. reference datasets comes from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database, known as FRIEND. The updated FRIEND standards, published in 2022 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, drew on 22,379 maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests from apparently healthy U.S. adults aged 20 through 89, contributed by 34 laboratories. The dataset included 16,278 treadmill tests and 6,101 cycle tests. Percentiles are reported by sex, decade of age, and test modality. ^[1]

Two features make FRIEND more trustworthy than a typical internet chart. First, the values were measured directly during maximal exercise tests, not predicted from formulas. Second, the source population is described in detail, so you know exactly who you are being compared with: apparently healthy U.S. adults tested in clinical and performance laboratories.

What do the numbers actually look like by age and sex?

The tables below come from the original FRIEND treadmill standards (Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015), based on 7,783 maximal treadmill tests in U.S. adults aged 20 to 79 without cardiovascular disease. ^[2] They show measured VO₂ max percentiles by decade for men and women. The 2022 update extends this work with more laboratories and cycle data; treadmill medians in the update exceed cycle values, so modality-specific interpretation matters. ^[1]

How fast does VO₂ max decline with age?

In the FRIEND data, values declined about 9.2% per decade for men and 10.3% per decade for women across a 50-year span, broadly consistent with a commonly cited decline of roughly 10% per decade. ^[2] The gap between men and women also narrows with age: the absolute difference shrinks from about 10 mL/kg/min in people's 20s to about 7.5 in their 70s. Individual trajectories vary widely with activity, health, and body composition, so the population slope is context, not destiny.

Why do different charts disagree?

Because they are built from different populations and different methods. When the FRIEND investigators compared their measured values with the widely used Cooper Clinic reference charts, they found systematic differences: Cooper Clinic values were predicted from treadmill time or workload on the Balke protocol, not measured breath by breath, and several methodological factors push predicted and measured values apart. ^[2] Norwegian reference datasets, built from directly measured tests in a different national population, show notably higher values across the lifespan than the U.S. FRIEND data. ^{[3] [4]} The lesson is not that one chart is right and another is wrong; it is that reference values are population-, region-, and method-specific, and any chart worth using should say exactly whose data it represents.

Does the type of test change what is "normal"?

Yes. Treadmill testing generally produces higher VO₂ max values than cycle testing, because running recruits more muscle mass. The 2022 FRIEND update therefore reports treadmill and cycle percentiles separately. ^[1] Comparing a cycle-test result against a treadmill chart can make a solid result look artificially low.

What about athletes and highly trained people?

General-population percentiles describe the general population. A trained endurance athlete will usually sit well above the 90th percentile of a registry like FRIEND, and sport-specific reference values are a separate literature. For athletes, the more useful comparisons are often within-sport norms and their own longitudinal trend rather than a general chart. VO₂ max also does not rank athletes by itself; sustainable fraction, thresholds, and economy shape performance too (see the pillar article). ^[5]

How should you actually interpret your number?

• Use a measured result if you have one, and note the test modality and protocol.
• Compare against percentiles matched to your sex, decade of age, and test type, from a dataset that discloses its population.
• Treat body-mass-relative values (mL/kg/min) with care if your weight has changed between tests.
• Track your own trend under consistent testing conditions rather than chasing a label.
• Remember that fitness percentile and health risk are related but not identical conversations; the longevity article covers that evidence.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good VO₂ max for my age?

It depends on your sex, age, and how the test was performed. In measured U.S. treadmill data from the FRIEND registry, the median for men falls from 48.0 mL/kg/min in their 20s to 24.4 in their 70s; for women, from 37.6 to 18.3. Where you fall on an age-, sex-, and modality-matched percentile matters more than any single "good" threshold.

Does VO₂ max decline with age?

Population reference data show VO₂ max tends to decline with age, roughly 9 to 10 percent per decade in the FRIEND registry, although individual trajectories vary substantially with activity, health, and body composition.

Why is my smartwatch VO₂ max different from these charts?

Watches estimate VO₂ max with algorithms rather than measuring it, and their classifications may use their own reference data. Independent research shows individual estimation error can be large, so an estimate and a measured value are not interchangeable. ^[6]

Is a VO₂ max of 30 good?

For a 55-year-old woman, 30 mL/kg/min is above the 90th percentile in measured U.S. treadmill data. For a 25-year-old man, it is below the 25th percentile. The same number means different things in different bodies, which is exactly why context matters.

Are treadmill and bike VO₂ max values comparable?

Not directly. Treadmill tests generally produce higher values than cycle tests, and the updated FRIEND standards report percentiles separately by modality. Compare your result with data from the same kind of test.

Can I improve my percentile?

VO₂ max responds to training on average, though individual responses vary. Our article on improving VO₂ max covers what the training research supports.